


write it in stone (you were my home)

by BrokenMachine



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: It's All cute, Mike Loves Eleven, Steve is a dad, The kids are cute, aftermath of ep 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 09:56:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12579156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenMachine/pseuds/BrokenMachine
Summary: His last coherent thought was: it wouldn’t be so bad to have a family like this.or, the aftermath





	write it in stone (you were my home)

Steve watched from the sofa across from Mike. The kid’s head was drooping, eyes fixed determinedly on the fuzzy tv screen playing a weird kids’ show, sound turned down to a low hum. Curled up on the other side of the couch was Dustin, snoring quietly with his hand thrown over the back of it.

Lucas shifted, top of his head brushing against Steve’s feet. For some reason the brief touch sent pain shooting up the back of Steve’s head, making him wince. The pain had dulled to a muted throb but he knew without a doubt his nose was broken. He’d set it back into place when he got back to the Byers’, letting the kids watch with a horrified fascination.

In her sleep, the new kid (Melissa? Mary?) rolled over and settled closer to Lucas’ side, her fingers brushing his waist. Lucas made a low noise and settled back down, turning his head unknowingly towards her.

Mike’s eyelids were fluttering. Steve felt a brief urge of annoyance which quickly turned into pity. “Mike,” he called, and the boy’s head darted (hah, funny, Dart) up, eyes wide and misty. He looked so much like Nancy it made Steve’s breath catch but he looked past it. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

Mike opened his mouth like he was about to protest but there turned out to be no need. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway sent both of them scrambling out of their seats, rushing for the front door. Steve pulled Mike back by the arm and looked through the peep hole. He could vaguely see Joyce getting out of the front seat and relaxed, opening the door.

“Hey,” he gulped as she walked closer. Joyce lifted one corner of her lips, but she looked a mess. Her eyes were puffy, skin sallow. Steve took a step forward. “Is…?”

“Will,” Mike breathed, and went flying past him. Steve caught a glimpse of Will’s wrecked face, hunched over body and skeletal frame before Mike engulfed him in a hug.

“He’s okay, I think,” Joyce breathed, sounding exhausted. Steve saw yellow marks beginning to purple on her throat. “It was a struggle but it got out of him.”

“Thank God,” Steve lifted an arm on instinct and drew her to his side. Joyce leaned into him for a second, raising a hand to settle in his hair and pressed a kiss to the side of his head.

“Are you okay? Are the kids safe?”

“They’re fine,” Steve glanced back to the living room, where he could just see Lucas’ feet.”They’re safe.”

“Thank you, baby,” she sounded choked with tears and disappeared down the hall towards Will’s room. Steve looked back out. Mike was holding Will, body shaking as he cried quietly, one hand in Will’s hair and the other arm looped around his waist. Will was slumped into him, one hand clutching weakly on to Mike’s hoodie and his head tucked against his neck.

Steve could hear Mike talking to him.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he was mumbling shakily. Will’s body shuddered with a silent sob. Jonathan and Nancy got out of the car and Nancy touched Mike’s shoulder. Her brother let go halfway and turned to the door, wiping his eyes as he helped Will up the stairs. The poor boy was hardly even standing, face a pale yellow and bruises under his eyes a dark purple.

Steve stepped aside to let Jonathan and Nancy past. “Good job, man,” Jonathan said, looking a little awkward but too happy to care. Steve gave him a rueful half smile, even as his stomach tightened at their linked hands.

“You too.”

“What happened to your face?” Nancy’s hand began to reach for him and then dropped back down to her side.

“Oh.” He touched it—the pain was hardly even noticeable anymore. “We ran into some trouble. I’ll let the kids explain tomorrow.”

Nancy’s eyes filled with an unidentifiable emotion and Steve dropped his gaze to the floor, only looking up when they had walked past.

He looked at the sky. The stars were out for the first time in a long time, and he wondered how much the Upside Down had been hiding parts of their town from them.

Mike appeared back at his shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Steve took pity on the kid, whose eyes were still red and was still shaking.

“Where’s Will?” “In bed,” Mike swallowed, hands twisting in front of him. “He’s not good.”

Steve sat down on the porch steps. “Come sit, we’ll wait for Eleven.” Mike sat down at his side and together they watched out over the roads. It didn’t take long for Mike’s head to hit his shoulder and his body to sink against Steve’s. He let him sleep.

He found himself falling asleep when the car pulled into the driveway, making his head snap up. Eleven and Hopper got out of the car, the young girl shutting the door quietly when she saw Mike, eyes softening. Her skin was grey and her nose and ears were covered in crusted blood. Despite this she walked quite steadily to where Mike and Steve sat, hands swinging by her side.

“Hey, El,” Steve whispered. “You okay?”

Eleven fixed her gaze on him, exhaustion clear in every line in her body. “Yes.” She turned back to Mike and tapped his face. “Mike.”

Steve shook his shoulder when he didn’t wake and Mike groaned, turning his face into his shoulder more.

“What,” he mumbled.

“Mike,” Eleven said again, a tear falling down her cheek. Mike’s head snapped up and he made eye contact.

“El!” Mike shot up. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“She’s fine, kid,” Hopper said, placing a hand on Eleven’s shoulder. Eleven leaned into him.

“She needs rest, is what.”

“I’ll take her,” Mike offered immediately. “Here, take my hand.”

Steve followed the two as Mike led her down the hallway. Eleven made a beeline to the sofa, pulling him with her, and collapsed down on it. Steve felt a bizarre urge to laugh as Mike turned a beet red when she pulled him down beside her.

Dustin snorted and kicked them, drawing everyone’s attention momentarily. Nancy and Jonathan were no where to be seen but Steve managed to fight back the bitterness as he sat down on the other sofa. Hopper clapped a hand on his shoulder and passed him to Will’s room, shutting the door behind him.

Mike and Eleven had settled down, lying pressed up against each other. In any other situation Steve would have separated them, but the arm around Eleven’s waist and the teary smile on Mike’s face as he pressed it against her hair made him stop. It took one credits scene of that weird show for them to be out cold, Mike’s arm loosening around her and Eleven’s hand dropping off the edge of the couch to hang there limply.

A breeze made Steve shiver. The window was open and he crossed the room to shut it. For a brief, terrible second he swore he saw something so large the stars were blotted out, the sky an inky black again, but he blinked and it was gone.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked to the blankets piled over the back of a kitchen chair. After draping one over Lucas and then one over (Max? He thought that was it.) he stepped over them and tucked another blanket over Dustin, pulling off his hat and setting it on the floor.

The boy didn’t wake but Steve didn’t mind, too busy using one blanket to wrap around Eleven and Mike. Together they looked complete, lines of worry and exhaustion Steve had seen in Mike’s face for almost a year melted off his face in sleep, tension in Eleven’s body completely gone. He thought he could have started a rock concert right there and none of the kids woke.

Smiling to himself, stepping over Lucas and Max (he was sure that was it.) Steve Harrington lay back down on his sofa and fell asleep almost instantly. His last coherent thought was: _it wouldn’t be so bad to have a family like this_.

Then he was asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Forest Fire by Brighton.
> 
> Got this out in about half an hour after finishing season 2. It was AMAZING and I cried 5 times.
> 
> hope you enjoy x


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